The UK-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) wine courses are recognised as the international standard for wine courses with over 55 countries around the globe teaching WSET to their students. For most South Africans, wine education has so far been confined to the Cape Wine Academy, who do an excellent job in raising standards, promoting wine in previously-unfamiliar areas and teaching people to enjoy and appreciate South African wines. But outside SA, the only recognised qualification is WSET and the fact that the courses are now available here in SA is another tick on South Africa’s journey to international excellence in wine.
Food24’s wine editor, Cathy Marston is currently the only qualified WSET educator on the continent. She passed her WSET Diploma in 1998 and has been involved in the wine industry for the past 16 years. Her relaxed, fun and informal Cathy’s Wine Courses are hugely popular and she is delighted to now introduce the WSET wine courses to South Africa. Here are 10 reasons why she believes WSET courses are the best wine courses you can do:
1. Trusted brand – WSET has been offering wine courses for over 40 years and has consistently been the market-leader in wine education during that time.
2. Internationally-recognised – anyone wanting to work in wine or hospitality outside SA or who deals with any wine or hospitality business outside SA will find common ground with employers and customers alike through WSET. In addition, successful Level 3 candidates may use the WSET Approved logo on all correspondence, business cards etc.
3. Up to date – all material was revised less than 6 months ago (August 2011) to include new legislation worldwide, and updates are supplied on an ongoing basis.
4. Comprehensive – the student materials comprise everything you need to pass the exam and use as a reference guide in the future. No need to purchase other expensive wine books.
5. Teaching methods – WSET provides detailed lesson plans and educator accessories such as Powerpoint presentations, slides, tests etc to ensure that students get the most out of the lectures and don’t waste their time.
6. Qualified teachers – all WSET lecturers have either passed the WSET Diploma or are Masters of Wine, or are qualified and experienced winemakers.
7. International wines – the wine courses are primarily focussed on wines around the world with the vast majority of samples coming from outside South Africa – 80 wines will be tasted on Level 3 and over 40 on Level 2.
8. Suitable for industry professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike – although WSET courses were devised for wine-folk, any wine-lover will gain a huge amount of knowledge and enjoyment from completing one of these courses.
9. Rigorous – all exams are set and marked in London, UK. This means that your qualification is unbiased, impartial and on a par with others around the world.
10. Looking ahead – if you are interested in furthering your wine studies, ultimately ending up as a Master of Wine, then WSET is the direct route for all further studies.
For more information on WSET courses, check out Cathy’s website with details of times and dates.